On the DVD-cover I read about comparisons to the body horror of David Cronenberg, and that's not a bad hint concerning this film. Elsewhere, I read about references to Brian De Palma, and 'his' split-screens were here, indeed. The mirroring in the ceiling light was another one that made me think of De Palma, but, again, I don't know exactly who did what first in cinema.And, beyond all that, Marina de Van really does her own thing here. But I must say that the final shot reminded me heavily of a murdered Marion Crane, laying on the bathroom floor in 'Psycho' (1960)... But when Hitchcock and De Palma pretty much always opt(ed) for a rather complicated, if not, far-fetched plot, de Van chooses to simply combine some dreadful horrors with the simple tale of a modern, attractive woman who is caught in a seemingly empty world of work, parties and a boyfriend who works just as much. In that sense it reminded me more of Cronenberg's 'Crash'.Subtlety is the main ingredient here (although there are a couple of terrific absurd moments here^), forming a terrific contrast with the horrors at hand. Not too much of a story (it's a blessing), but along the lines of 'a couple of (fateful) days in the life of a woman who...'. A deliciously dark attempt to shed light on matters from the inside, so to speak. No explanations, no answers, you figure it out.Plus: a fine soundtrack to boot! 9 out of 10, at least ^ Álmost funny are the observation that there just hás to be a killer somewhere (maybe I've seen to many giallo's?), when there's blood found in the house and later in the restaurant.P.s.: Still looking for all those shocking shorts that de Van presumably did in the past... to be continued, I hope.

This film was great in a way, but also quite graphic. Some of the scenes left me hiding away, and yelling "no, don't do that!" I quite like how graphic it is, but it is also a film that is hard to understand. I think it shows how no one understands her desire to self harm. No one truly understands self-harm in the real world, unless they have been through it themselves. One thing I really didn't understand was the ending. I won't say what it was (because spoilers) but it wasn't the greatest. It didn't leave me feeling emotional at all, and it felt like that shouldn't have been the end.I had no emotional attachment to the characters. I felt absorbed into their lives, but I didn't hate them or love them, I didn't feel anything for them. I guess that isn't such a bad thing, as it means I'm not crying my eyes out on top of a wet pillow or something. I am a self harmer, and I was recommended this film by someone else who self-harms. It is good to watch, if you are not easily triggered by images of wounds, but if you are easily triggered, then I would say don't watch it.

In the slow, hidden meaning, and dark secret kind of movies, we come across something like this.Once again, in western type movies, the protagonist always have to throw what they feel at the audience so the audience doesn't have to think. This one will. The fact that she does things that you wouldn't think you do yourself and reacts on it later will have you mind-boggled. we all have our own way of dealing with things. This one tends to deal with a more dark and gruesome way to deal with it. Which is simply fine, if you can stomach some of the scenes in the movie, and love to try to read the underlying meaning within the movie to try to get the real beauty out. Id say give it a watch 7/10

First off - IN MY SKIN is not a graphic gore film. If you're looking for a disgusting blood-bath, it's not in this one. Most of the "rough" acts portrayed are inferred and not actually shown. Though still somewhat squirm-inducing, they are not blatantly gory or disgusting unless your tolerance for such material is very low. Secondly - this film will not provide you with answers as to why the lead character behaves the way she does. Understand this going into it or you will probably be very disappointed.IN MY SKIN is the relatively simple tale of a woman who becomes obsessed and addicted - in this particular case, with herself. The chain of events starts with her unknowingly cutting her leg pretty severely at a party. Shortly after she becomes uncontrollably and inexplicably obsessed with cutting, and in some cases eating her own flesh. Watching her downward spiraling compulsion is much like witnessing a drug abuser's descent into denial, lies, and eventual hopelessness. There is never any real reason given for the behavior - just a voyeuristic look into this woman's life and "disease".This film is not going to be for all "tastes" for a few reasons. The subject matter will put off some viewers and isn't recommended for "mainstream" cinema audiences - but again, IN MY SKIN is not nearly as graphically gory as some would lead you to believe. The other thing is that the lack of explanation will no doubt frustrate some. I can pretty easily compare IN MY SKIN to another French horror/drama - TROUBLE EVERY DAY - as it contains some of the same frustrating elements such as lack of explanation/resolution. But the main difference is that TROUBLE EVERY DAY had a more "involved" plot - whereas IN MY SKIN is pretty straight-forward - there just may not be an explanation or resolution for the lead actress's actions. Personally, I enjoyed the film and found it both intriguing and haunting - and would recommend it to body-horror and art-house/drama fans - but again - don't expect a violent gore-fest, but a more understated type of "shock"...8/10